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Canadian
Province
Bans
Cyber Bullying
by The
Canadian Press from the Web, April 22, 2006
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Toronto -- "Bullying is
bullying" whether it's done online or in a schoolyard, Premier Dalton McGuinty
said as his government last week introduced new legislation to add
cyber-bullying to the list of offences for which a student can be suspended or
expelled from an Ontario school.
Changes to the province's Safe Schools Act were introduced to stop students from
posting comments, pictures or videos attacking another student or teacher on
popular online sites such as YouTube.
It's the first time either physical or online bullying will be formally
prohibited in provincial schools.
"Whether you do it online by way of the latest technology or you're doing it in
person or over the old fashioned telephone, it still causes pain and suffering,"
McGuinty said before a Liberal caucus meeting.
"It's unacceptable, and I'm proud of the fact our safe schools act will in fact
broaden the ambit of offences and take into account bullying and
cyber-bullying."
Education Minister Kathleen Wynne said Tuesday she wants to help students
grapple with the new technologies they use and to teach them to start taking
responsibility for their online actions.
But Wynne said she will also make sure troubled students who are suspended or
expelled get a chance to return to school by providing $31 million a year for
new programs to help them.
"We must ensure that there are strong consequences for inappropriate behaviour,
as well as provide programs so students can earn their way back into the
classroom and complete their education," she said.
"Bullying is not currently listed as an infraction, and it's about time that we
recognized the seriousness of these behaviours."
Wynne said the government wanted to get feedback from students as it moves to
clarify the definition of bullying in the legislation to include Internet
activities.
She noted one recent incident where students at a suburban Toronto high school
posted derogatory comments about the vice-principal on Facebook.com, and felt
their right to free speech was being trampled when they were suspended.
"The adults involved were looking at the situation through a completely
different lens than the students," said Wynne.
"I think we have to start having meaningful conversations with kids about how
they perceive these technologies and the danger that can be done in the name of
using a new technology."
The Ontario Teachers' Federation welcomed the proposed changes to the Safe
Schools provisions, noting that Monday's "tragedy at Virginia Tech has everyone
thinking about students and their safety at school."
"Teachers in Ontario are happy that the proposed legislation includes bullying,
cyber-bullying and bullying of teachers as an infraction that could lead to
suspension or expulsion," said federation president Hilda Watkins.
"This behaviour is unfortunately spreading, especially in cyberspace."
The opposition parties agreed bullying needs to be dealt with, but accused the
Liberal government of failing to provide schools with adequate resources to
ensure student safety.
"What we need in the schools is adult supervision," said NDP education critic
Rosario Marchese.
"What we need are youth workers that actually deal with students at risk.
There's nothing here that deals with that."
Conservative education critic Frank Klees complained the government had few
details in the bill.
"This announcement is vintage McGuinty: long on rhetoric, short on
substance," Klees told the legislature.
Wynne also announced the zero-tolerance provisions in the Safe Schools Act will
be eliminated and replaced with what she calls "a stronger and more rational
approach to discipline."
The act has been widely criticized as unfairly targeting visible minorities,
disabled and low-income students, and was the subject of an official complaint
against the Ministry of Education by the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
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